HRT F1 Team has reached an agreement with Dani Clos by which the young 23-year-old driver from Barcelona will become test driver of the Spanish outfit for the 2012 season.

The incorporation of Clos is another step in the team’s aspirations of establishing itself as a platform for young talents to reach the pinnacle of world motorsport.

Dani Clos will form an integral part of the team, taking part in several free practice sessions on Fridays and travelling to every Grand Prix throughout the season, with the main objective of learning and getting to know the team. There is a lot of hard work ahead of him but Dani will have the whole team’s support, including that of his teammates Narain Karthikeyan and Pedro de la Rosa, to help him learn and progress in such a demanding environment.

Dani Clos experienced his first contact with the team this past November, during the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi, and made the most of the opportunity given to him. The good sensations that the team and driver had, along with the objective of strengthening HRT F1 Team, helped to reach a quick agreement that was desired by both parties.

The Spanish driver will start to exert his functions as the team’s test driver immediately and will be with the team for the third pre-season tests in Barcelona from the 1^st to the 4^th of March.

Dani Clos: “I’m very proud to be a part of HRT Formula 1 Team. It is a great step in my career, something that I have dreamt of all my life and, finally, my dream is starting to come true. I’m very impressed with the job the team is doing; they’re achieving fantastic things in a short space of time. The team has changed a lot since we met in the Abu Dhabi tests and I think it’s a great opportunity and an honor to form a part of this new team. What they’re achieving is very important for motorsport in our country and has a lot of potential. Also, being alongside Pedro de la Rosa is very important for me, since he and Karthikeyan can positively contribute to me becoming a better driver. I want to thank Saúl Ruíz de Marcos and Luis Pérez-Sala for the trust they’ve shown in me from the start and, above all, I would like to thank the people who have always been by my side, such as Leonardo Soldevila and my father. For me a new chapter is beginning, one where hard work and dedication are going to be my priorities; I’m going to give it my all so that this phase is as successful as it can possibly be for the team, my teammates and myself”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal of HRT: “I’m very happy to have Dani on the team. He’s a quick, talented driver who, above all, is very willing to progress. The incorporation of Clos is another step in our project of restructuring HRT but also fits in with our desire to promote young motorsport talents. I’m sure that it will be a very positive experience for both parties”.

-Ends-

Dani Clos – Profile

Date of Birth: 23rd of October 1988

Place of Birth: Barcelona (Spain)

Nationality: Spanish

Height: 1,77cm

Weight: 68 kg

Country and place of residence: Barcelona (Spain)

Website: www.daniclos.com

Twitter: @daniclos

Dani Clos was born in Barcelona on the 23rd of October 1988. With a renowned trajectory in karting, Clos made his debut in single-seater racing in 2004 in Formula Renault Italia 2.0, going on to win the Championship in 2006. A year later he joined Renault’s F1 programme and took part in the Formula Three Euroseries. In 2008 he entered Williams F1’s young drivers’ programme and finished in 2^nd in the 24H Barcelona race. In 2009 he made his debut in the GP2 series, with a 3^rd place finish in Portimao being his best result. In his second year in GP2 he achieved his first win in Turkey alongside various podium finishes. Last year, Dani Clos took one win and two podiums in what was his third season as a GP2 driver. Also in 2011, he took part in the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi with HRT F1 Team, completing total of 377.67km in one day and leaving a very good impression on the team.

Career Summary:

2011: GP2: Racing Engineering, 9^thin the Championship

F1: Young Driver Test with HRT F1 Team

2010: GP2: Racing Engineering, 4^thin the Championship (1 race win)

2009: GP2: Racing Engineering, 21^stin the Championship

2008: F3 Euroseries: Prema Powerteam: 14^thin the Championship

2007: F3 Euroseries: Signature Plus: 13^thin the Championship

2006: Formula Renault 2.0 Italia: Champion (8 race wins)

Renault 2.0 Eurocup: 7^th position

2005: Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0: 32^ndin the Championship

Italian Formula Renault Championship: 16^th in the Championship

With Nick Heidfeld at the wheel of a Toyota TF109 Pirelli is currently testing in Mugello – tires for Formula 1 and GP2 will be the same in future.

It is serious for Pirelli, the future Formula 1 tire manufacturer who will replace the previous incumbent Bridgestone in 2011 for at least three years, today officially launched at Mugello quasi with preparations for the coming season. At the wheel sat the test carrier as announced Nick Heidfeld.

The former Mercedes test driver took a Toyota TF109 from last season site, used by the company based in Cologne TTE, a remnant of former Toyota Formula 1 team. The main objective of the two-day test is to get the new tires and to collect valuable data for further development in the coming months. In this regard, Heidfeld will describe his impressions and give input.
However, it is not at the Mugello test track at the premiere of the forthcoming Pirelli tires. This took place in July with a GP2 test carrier in Le Castellet. For what many do not know: According to information of ‘Motorsport-Total.com’ Pirelli will offer in 2011 for Formula 1 and GP2, the same types of tires. This helps the GP2 as a springboard to the premier class, and also saves costs.

The Italian tire manufacturer will continue the test at home tomorrow. Then there are five more tests with the TTE test carrier on the program before it will be the week after the season finale in Abu Dhabi, the first tests of all the teams with the new Pirelli tires. Insiders expect that the tires are beginning to turn more conservative, after all do not want to stand out by Pirelli defects.

Serious talks about the extension of Felipe Massa’s Ferrari contract have begun, according to Finland’s Turun Sanomat.

But the newspaper also reports that Brazilian Massa’s manager Nicolas Todt has held exploratory talks with other formula one teams — perhaps Renault.

Rumours have linked current Renault driver Robert Kubica as well as Red Bull’s Mark Webber with the 2011 seat alongside Fernando Alonso, with Massa’s current contract set to expire in December.

The 29-year-old has also been struggling with Maranello based Ferrari’s F10 car.

“We have a long contract with Alonso, and we trust Massa,” team boss Stefano Domenicali is quoted as saying. “He is doing a good job.”

Massa said: “I like it very much at Ferrari — I know everybody and everybody knows me.

“But it is always encouraging to know that there are others with fast cars who are interested in me.

“The main objective is to continue with Ferrari,” he added.

In its striking silver and black, the new nose of the single-seater does remind us of Brawn’s BGP01, but if we look closely it’s very different.  The middle part of the nose is much higher, reaching above the front wing, together with the typical V shape of the Red Bull RB5 V.  The car has its nose edge higher at both sides right up to the cockpit opening. (look at the detailed picture below.)

The underside of the nose is rounded off, also as the RB5, but with less height in the front suspension mounts which are joined to the chassis by a small keel.

Around the driver, the sidepod entries have changed less, maintaining the air inlets that are now bulky in comparison to what McLaren and Ferrari have presented in 2010. The wing mirrors have been kept very simple.

Front detail of the Mercedes W01

This racing car may be one of the most innovative, not having anything to do with the adjustments made for his official presentation in Germany.  The airbox, apart from being an air inlet, its main objective is to be a roll hoop for the pilot in case of a crash.  Due to this, the teams usually reinforce the airbox walls with carbon fiber so that it matches the required strength.  Up to here there’s nothing we don’t know, but Mercedes has gone a little farther applying a completely different concept.

W01 Airbox

Here, the team has chosen to build the roll hoop as a vertical column providing a thick support on the centerline of the car.  So an air inlet must also be provided.  If you watch closely, the airbox is divided in two, with an air opening much larger than we are used to.

A little more to the back, there is a small opening on each side of the airbox, providing cooling air for some components that sit more rearward in the car.  It is understood that Mercedes and several other teams have chosen to move some components to sit in the low rear to make place for the larger fuel tank.

Despite the fairly bulky shape of the sidepods with a remarkable lack of undercut, the rear end of the car is extremely mince, leaving most of the suspension components open to free airflow. The team have made the bodywork so narrow that many of the components protrude.

Specifications

• Chassis: Construction Molded carbon fiber and honeycomb composite structure
• Suspension: Wishbone
• Dampers: Sachs
• Wheels: BBS forged magnesium
• Tyres: Bridgestone Potenza
• Brakes: Brembo calipers, discs/pads Carbon/Carbon
• Steering: Power assisted rack and pinion
• Electronics: FIA standard ECU and FIA homologated electronic and electrical system
• Gearbox: Seven speed unit with carbon composite maincase
• Gear selection: Sequential, semi-automatic, hydraulic activation
• Clutch: carbon plate

Dimensions

• Overall length: 4800mm
• Overall height: 950mm
• Overall width: 1800 mm

Motor

• Type: Mercedes-Benz FO108X
• Capacity: 2,4 liters
• Cylinders: 8
• Maximum rpm: 18.000 (maximum FIA regulation)
• Bank angle: 90 °
• Piston bore: 98 mm (maximum FIA regulation)
• No. of valves: 32
• Weight: 95kg (minimum FIA regulation weight)